Today was the last day of classes for my students.

To celebrate, we cranked Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” in the hallways at the end of the day, then waved to them in the parking lot as they took off for home. Only three students waved back with just one finger.

The end of the year is when young people get energized, but teachers completely collapse. The sheer exhaustion of trying to hone in and personalize a learning experience for so many young people takes its toll. Then the realization of the summer months ahead to rejuvenate sets in and the exhaustion slowly dissipates.

It’s been an even more exhausting year for me as I was getting my bearings being back in the classroom (after serving as chaplain for four years) and the birth of a second child. To be honest, coffee was the reason I could even function most of the time.

This summer will be a time to catch up on many projects that took a back burner, slowly hack away at my “honey-do” list, spend time with my family and do what I told every single one of my students to do this summer:

Keep reading and writing.

It’s the two activities that can spark imagination, creativity, empathy, focus, reflection, deep learning and clarity of thought.

After all, learning doesn’t stop when you leave the classroom.